California Nachos

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* Exported from MasterCook *

 

California Nachos

 

Recipe By : California Home Cooking by Michele Anna Jordan

Serving Size : 4 Preparation Time :0:00

Categories : Appetizers Sda-Veg-Recipes2 (AT) Egroups (DOT) Com

 

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

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1 tablespoon olive oil

3 (3 to 4) serrano chiles -- minced

1/2 cup sour cream

1/4 cup mince cilantro leaves

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Black pepper in a mill

8 ounces tortilla chips

2 cups cooked and Seasoned Black Beans -- (recipe below) or

good-quality canned black beans

6 ounces grated St. George or Monterey Jack

1 1/2 cups Smoky Corn Salsa (recipe below)

Seasoned Black Beans

1 pound dried black beans

1 large yellow onion -- quartered

1 large shallot -- cut in half

4 cloves garlic

1 rib celery -- cut in half

2 sprigs Italian parsley

Smoky Corn Salsa

3 ears fresh corn

1 small red onion -- minced

2 serrano or jalapeno chiles -- minced

1 red bell pepper -- minced

2 teaspoons pureed canned chipotles in adobo

Juice of 2 limes

1/3 cup unrefined corn oil or extra -- virgin olive oil

1/4 cup minced cilantro leaves

Kosher salt

Black pepper in a mill

 

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

 

In a small sauté pan, heat the olive oil, and add the serranos. Sauté them until

they are just soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove them from the heat and let them cool.

 

In a blender or food processor, make a cilantro cream: Combine the sour cream,

half of the cilantro leaves, 1 teaspoon of the sautéed serranos, the salt, and 2

or 3 turns of black pepper. Pulse or blend until the mixture is smooth, and

transfer to a small serving bowl.

 

On a large ovenproof serving platter, spread out half of the tortilla chips.

Spoon half of the beans over the chips, sprinkle half of the remaining serranos

over the beans, scatter half of the cheese over all, and top with half of the

corn salsa. Repeat with chips, beans, serranos, and cheese. Bake the nachos

until the cheese is just melted, about 7 minutes. Remove from the oven, spoon

the remaining corn salsa on top, and serve with cilantro cream on the side.

 

Seasoned Black Beans

Rinse the beans in cool water and sort through them to remove any small rocks or

other debris, along with any renegade varieties of beans. Put the beans in a

large pot, and add water to cover the beans by 2 inches. Soak the beans at room

temperature for at least 8 hours or overnight. For a quick soak, bring the beans

and water to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat, and simmer, covered, for 10

minutes; remove the pot from the heat, and let the beans soak for 1 hour.

 

Drain and rinse the beans, return them to the pot, and add water to cover the

beans by 2 inches. Add the onion, shallot, garlic, celery and parsley. Bring to

a boil over high heat. Skim off any foam that forms, reduce the heat, and simmer

gently, partially covered, until the beans are tender. Begin tasting the beans

after about 40 minutes; the cooking time will be 45 minutes to 2 hours,

depending on the variety of bean. Add water as necessary to keep the beans from

burning. When the beans are done, remove the pot from the heat. Use tongs to

remove and discard the onion, shallot, celery, and parsley. Sometimes the onion

and shallot will have nearly dissolved into the beans, which is fine. Season

with salt and pepper.

 

Prepare an outdoor or stovetop grill. Remove the husks and silk from the corn.

Grill the ears quickly, turning them so they cook and color evenly, for about 5

minutes, until they have darkened slightly but have not blackened. Remove the

ears from the grill, and set them aside to cool. When they are cool enough to

handle, cut the kernels from the ears, and put the kernels in a medium bowl. Add

the onion, chiles, bell pepper, and chipotles, and toss together. Add the lime

juice, corn oil, and cilantro, and toss again. Season with salt and pepper. Let

the salsa rest at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving. Serve

immediately, or store, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

 

Variation:

Instead of grilling the ears of corn, boil them for 1 or 2 minutes, drain them,

and let them cool. Remove the kernels from the ears. Omit the chipotles, and add

in their place 1 large or 2 medium ripe red tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and minced

and 1 yellow or orange bell pepper, diced.

 

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